Certain foreign citizens may soon be allowed to immigrate to Nova Scotia through the expansion of one stream within the local Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), as revealed in late September.
This change will allow international students who aspire to become paramedics or pharmacy technicians to immigrate to Nova Scotia.
This adjustment, announced jointly by Nova Scotia’s Minister of Health, Michelle Thompson, and the province’s Minister of Advanced Education, Brian Wong, comes as the government prepares to expand the “International Graduates in Demand” (IGD) stream of its PNP.
PNP: IGD Stream in Nova Scotia PNPs, which are available in every Canadian province and territory except Quebec and Nunavut, allow local governments to propose specific immigration candidates (for permanent residency (PR) in their region) who they believe will best assist them in addressing local labour market deficiencies.
Prior to this most recent extension, international graduates seeking jobs in the occupations listed below could immigrate to Nova Scotia through this PNP stream.
Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates (National Occupation Classification 2021: 33102)
Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 2021: 42202)
Paramedics (NOC 2021, “Paramedical Occupations”: 32102) and Pharmacy Technicians (NOC 2021: 32124) are now eligible thanks to this announcement.
In order to be eligible for immigration through this stream of Nova Scotia’s PNP, interested candidates must meet the following criteria:
· Possess a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in an eligible occupation
· Be between the ages of 21 and 55
· Have completed at least a high school education
· Have completed a course of study at least 30 weeks long (in the last three years)*
· Possess the appropriate certifications required for the job
· Have official language proficiency that equates to a level 5 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)
· Possess enough money to settle permanently in Nova Scotia
*At least half of the qualifying educational program must have been completed in Nova Scotia.
Applying for immigration through the IGD PNP stream
Here are the basic steps to apply for immigration to this province through the IGD stream of its PNP:
1. Upload the required documents and submit a completed application on the government website
2. If approved, apply for PR directly with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) within six months of receiving your provincial nomination certificate
Note: Applicants can request a Letter of Support from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration (NSOI) for a temporary work permit, which will allow them to stay in Nova Scotia while their application is being reviewed.
In Nova Scotia, paramedics and pharmacy technicians are needed.
According to the chief executive of Nova Scotia’s Pharmacy Association, the province will require “about 200 [pharmacy] technicians over the next few years.”
According to Charbel Daniel, the director of operations for ambulance services provider Emergency Medical Care Inc., an additional “150 [to] 200 paramedic positions could be available” for international students.
Aside from the two occupations introduced to Nova Scotia’s PNP’s IGD stream, there is great demand for employable individuals wishing to work in various healthcare occupations across Canada.
Other healthcare workers are also in demand
According to employment agency and consulting firm Randstad, these are the top three healthcare careers in demand across Canada for 2023:
· Registered Nurses (NOC 2021: 31301)
· Personal Support Workers (NOC 2021: 44101)
· Healthcare Aides** (NOC 2021: 33102)
**Healthcare Aides are also specifically eligible for immigration to Nova Scotia through the IGD stream, as noted above
According to the Government of Canada, the following represents the expected number of “job openings” for each of the above occupations between 2022 and 2031.
(155,400) Registered Nurses
(34,500) Personal Support Workers
Aides in Healthcare (191,000)
The figures above highlight the need for more healthcare workers across Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia.
Coming to Canada to work in healthcare
IRCC has began holding category-based Express Entry drawings in order to attract more healthcare personnel. The first of these drawings was held on June 28, 2023.
These draws were designed expressly to attract Canadian immigration prospects who can assist in addressing some of the country’s most pressing labour market concerns.
For 2023, IRCC will issue ITAs through category-based drawings to qualified candidates with recent work experience in one of five occupational categories. This year, one of the categories is reserved for international people having recent work experience in healthcare professions.
Draw history by healthcare category
So far this year, Canada has held two Express Entry drawings based on healthcare categories.
On June 28, the first draw was held, and 500 individuals were awarded an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian PR. Candidates having a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 476 were considered for this draw.
On July 6, the second draw for this category was held. This draw welcomed 1,500 individuals having a CRS score of at least 463.
